Playing Games
by ai oi
Summary: mikagami seeks the truth...from a mystery...shonen-ai
1. Default Chapter

****

Playing Games

Author's note: hmm…think some of the facts are a bit warped but hope you enjoy it anyway.

This fic is dedicated to zephyr. Happy Birthday cherie!!!

Standard disclaimers apply.

Oh. And it's shonen-ai. If you can't deal with it, why are you still here?

I watched him enter in the mirror, all dark grace and gentleman death.

His nondescript brown trench coat hung below his knees, swaying open from time to time to reveal glimpses of the Ensui hung at his waist. Underneath, he wore a white long-sleeved shirt and a pair of washed blue jeans that clung to his legs.

He stopped at the doorway to the room. "Tell me," he demanded softly.

Still facing the mirror, I replied sardonically, "More haste less speed, young one. The night is young yet."

He crossed the room in long, angry large strides, and placing a delicate hand on the arm of the swivel chair on which I lounged, turned me roughly around to face him.

"Stop this game," he said angrily, "You know what I came here for."

Bowing my head so that the upper half of my face was still hidden by the baseball cap I wore, I managed a cold smile. 

"What I do know," I said, the rising anger in my words belying the pleasant expression on my face, "is that you came for information only I have, and anything I say will be on my terms."

He paused, and began to remove his hand from the chair. Before he had moved it but two inches from me though, I caught it in my own right hand, and bringing it to my lips, laid upon it a gentle, mocking kiss. 

He hissed, and drew his hand away sharply. Myriad emotions ran through his eyes; anger, contempt, disgust, and to my shocked delight, a fleeting desire. However, by the time I had risen from my chair, he had recovered the cool, disdainful persona carefully cultivated over the years.

The furnishings in the room were sparse, but a small side table held a bottle of chilled red wine and two long glasses. I brought the items to the dining table, and gestured for him to sit opposite me. After pouring the wine, I sat back and waited for him to pick a glass.

Eyes filled with suspicion, he picked one and took a hesitant sip, never looking away from me.

I laughed at his obvious discomfort.

"Did you think I would need to stoop to such methods to kill you?" I asked, "Don't worry, I wouldn't waste good wine by poisoning it."

Lifting my own glass in a toast, I took a long deep draught. From the corner of my eye, I saw him relax and begin to drink his own.

I pulled a battered pack of cards from my shirt pocket. Shuffling them with ease born of familiarity, I smoothed them face down into a line between us.

"It works this way," I explained, "we each pick a card. If the value of your card is higher than mine, you get to ask me a question, and I will answer it as truthfully as I can."

"And if it is lower?" he asked.

"Then I get to ask a question of my own. Simple enough?" 

He nodded, and picked a card.

The ten of spades.

I thought a moment, and selected another. Glancing swiftly down, I flicked it up my sleeve and let another drop into my palm before he was any wiser.

The two of hearts.

I looked at him. "Ask away," I said.

"I was there," he said, a frightening intensity in his eyes, "and yet, I cannot remember…tell me, how did she die?"

Resigned, I settled further into my chair and said, "I killed her."

He was up in an instant, the Ensui in his hand, hatred bristling in every line of his body. Clearing the table easily, he pressed the cold blade against my throat.

"Would you kill me now?" I asked calmly, "When there is still so much more to tell?"

"Say it then," he said through clenched teeth, "If you think it will save your life."

"Perhaps it would be more accurate," I continued, "to say that she killed herself."

__

Shock as she plunged the knife I held to her chest into her own body. She told me then, as her spirit fled and her life bled away.

"We had orders. We were to take her back to Meguri Kyoza and silence everyone else. As you can see, things didn't turn out quite the way we planned."

__

I stayed as far back from the carnage as possible. Coward, I told myself. But the screams of young children filled my head, and I didn't, couldn't, move. 

"What are you waiting for boy?" Kai growled at me, "Come with me now!"

Stepping over the bodies of men and women and infants growing cold in their arms, I moved towards my commander. A scream welled up in my throat, but it died before it left my mouth. Not here, not now, and not in front of him. I would mourn them later.

"She was alone when we entered, Kai and I. But it didn't seem to matter to her."

__

We marched into the inner rooms of the sprawling house, the sounds of fighting growing muted. She sat on a white blanket in the middle of the room, eyes closed, breathing even, as though a brutal battle were not taking place at her very doorstep.

"Take her," he said.

I moved towards her, but before I laid a hand on her, her eyes flew open, staring into mine.

"She wanted me to make sure you were unharmed. She was quite insistent on that."

__

"Keep him safe," she whispered, pushing the dazed, blue-eyed boy into my arms.

"I…" 

"Keep his safe," she demanded urgently, "I know you will."

"All of a sudden, she began to insist that you, and not she, was the Chosen one, the one destined to wield the Ensui. Foolish of her; she should have known that she would not live after that."

__

"What's the matter now boy?" Kai demanded, "What's taking you so long?"

I turned towards him, unsure of what to do. "She…" I began.

She grabbed my head in both hands and turned me back to face her.

"I am not the one you seek," she called towards Kai, "I am not the one destined to master Hyomon Ken."

Kai narrowed his eyes and said, "Don't lie to me. I know who you are. I know what_ you are. Prophet. Witch."_

She smiled sadly. "Then you know that what I say is true. Take him, and spare his life." 

She turned back towards me and drew the dagger from my belt. Wrapping my hands around it, she plunged the knife into her heart and whispered in my ear…

"Don't you understand?" I told him, "She sacrificed her life for you. Till now, I don't know if what she said was true, but what I do know, is that she loved you more than she loved life itself."

He staggered back as though he had been hit. The Ensui dropped with a clatter to the floor.

"Watch out!" I cried, and gathered him in my arms before he tripped over the swivel chair I had been sitting on when he had first entered the room. He struggled briefly, but his heart wasn't in it and before long, he gave up.

He stood still for an eternity, motionless in my arms. All of a sudden, the barriers that he had so carefully built up against the memories came crashing down under the onslaught of emotions, and he began to shake as silent sobs racked his body.

"I killed her," he murmured softly, "My fault. It was all my fault…" he said over and over again in a heartbreaking litany.

I rocked him gently from side to side, not knowing what to do, and only vaguely aware that I wanted to soothe his agony, take away his pain. My attention was focused entirely on the slight, shivering figure that I held in a loose embrace.

Muttering meaningless words of comfort in his ear, I drew him slowly to the bed in the corner. I reached up, and pulled the leather thong from his hair. It spilled like a silver waterfall down his back, surrounding him in a soft halo. My breath caught, and I moved hurriedly away before I did something that I knew I would regret.

But before I had drawn very far back, it was his turn to catch my wrists.

"Don't go," he begged, blue eyes pleading, "Stay with me, please."

The moment he had touched me, I was lost and so, it seemed, was he. The muted desire which I had seen flash across his eyes earlier that evening returned in full force, hitting me with an almost physical impact.

Nodding, I snapped my fingers, and the lights in the room went off. Only then did I remove the baseball cap from my head. 

Lowering myself over him, I laid a chaste kiss on his lips. And then we were well and truly lost, in the night, in the dark, and in each other…

~

I slung my jacket over my shoulder, and turned to look at the sleeping figure on the bed. In the early light of dawn, he looked so young, so vulnerable. 

"You were right Mifuyu," I said softly, "I would do anything to protect him."

Rubbing the teardrop shaped birthmark at the corner of my right eye, I ran my hands gently over the matching one on his left shoulder. He stirred slightly, and I drew my hand back quickly.

"I just didn't want to believe I would die for him." 

I drew the baseball cap over my head and exited swiftly out of the door. Two steps later, I paused, and flung the card I had truly picked towards the bed and was gone before it floated slowly down. 

The Joker, the wildcard. 

__

"You see, Odokemono Hiroji," she said as the blood flowed from her veins, "you are his soulmate. And you will die for him." 

~

As the door swung silently shut, Tokiya Mikagami opened his eyes.

* * *

© ai 2002

Happy Birthday zephyr!!!


	2. Chapter 2

****

Playing Games

__

Author's note: hmm, it's been over a month since I've touched this story, but I decided to add another chapter anyway. Oh well, hope you enjoy it.

****

Chapter 2

"Where the hell were you?"

I closed the door behind me and twisted the lock. Walking calmly to the couch in the living room, I sank into it obliviously.

"Answer me, damn you!" she screeched.

I reached for the remote control on the glass table in front of me and turned on the hi-fi. New Age music wafted gently from the speakers, filling the room with sound.

Fuuko stomped to the hi-fi and viscously turned it off. Her large curls bounced gently as she swayed in the too-tight miniskirt; even in her tantrum, she remembered to take deep breaths and her blouse fairly burst at the seams. Stalking towards me, she grabbed me by collar.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" 

I rolled my eyes and ignored her. Foolish woman, when would she get the hint that I did not and would not ever care for her?

"What is this?" she asked, pulling my shirt aside to reveal the purple bruise on my collarbone. "Who was she?" she demanded angrily, "Tell me!"

"It's none of your business." I said coldly, pulling my jacket back into place. I tried to push her away from me but she would not budge.

"Like hell it isn't," she said. Pushing her face into mine, she tried to force a kiss on my lips. When I didn't respond, she moved back in frustration and started pounding my chest with her fists.

"I love you Tokiya," she cried, "Why can't you give me a chance?"

"I did." I said, my voice a monotone, "You gave it up when you chose Raiha."

__

Two bodies intertwined on the couch. Moans reverberating through the house. Shock as I opened the door to my_ house to find…_

"I already said it was nothing," she said, "we were drunk and…"

"In the middle of the afternoon?" I cut her off abruptly, we had been through this discussion before, "Give it up Fuuko, it's over."

I pushed her off and strode down the corridor into my room, shutting the door to her rants and pleas. I leant against it and slid slowly down towards the floor. Rubbing absently at the teardrop mark on my left shoulder, I tried to digest the previous night's revelations, but what filled my thought were a pair of glowing amber eyes flecked with gold…

~

The chair scraped noisily against the floor, the dissonant sound grating in the chic ambiance of the bar. Recca coughed uncomfortably and sat down before me. 

"Tokiya-san…" he began hesitantly.

"If it's about her, I don't want to hear anything." I said.

"But…Fuuko-chan…if you would just give her a chance. She really loves you."

I stared at him incredulously. "Is that what you think?" I asked, "If Fuuko has really loved anyone but herself in her entire life, I'd shatter the Ensui."

Recca stared back, shocked at the anger in my voice. Relenting slightly, I settled back into my seat and said, "Perhaps she thinks she loves me. Believe me, she'll get over it."

"Still…" he insisted.

A hand on his shoulder made him look up. Yanagi lowered her head and whispered in his ear, "Leave now, I'll handle this."

Recca nodded readily and got up, more than eager to be without my company when I was in such strange temper. Yanagi slid into the vacant chair, and looked at me thoughtfully.

Finally, she leant forward and gently patted one of my hands. 

"I won't force you do to do anything you don't want to," she said.

I smiled at her and relaxed muscles I hadn't even known were tense.

"Thank you." I said, knowing that if she had asked me for the moon, I would have been powerless to resist her.

"Perhaps a week ago, or maybe even yesterday, I would have asked you to give Fuuko-san a chance, but now…" she drummed her fingers on the tabletop, her expression changing to one of puzzlement. "Who is it?" she asked.

I blinked, thrown by the non-sequitor. "Who's what?" I asked intelligently.

"The person you're in love with." she replied.

"What?!" I rose from my seat in one smooth motion. At the reproachful glances of other patrons, I lowered my volume and said, "I'm not in love with anybody."

Yanagi raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "If you say so."

"But I'm not." I insisted, the denial sounding weak even to my own ears. 

I cursed the girl for her empathy even as my mind raced with the words that had just been said. I didn't love him, I couldn't, and yet…

__

The feel of his arms around me…

Silken lips on my skin… 

I had never felt so safe, so secure…

So loved. 

Flinging my coat over my shoulders, I half-ran out of the bar, thoughts I didn't want to think running through my head.

~

The shock of cold air in my face made me pause, but it didn't do anything for my confused thoughts. Striding briskly down the concrete pavement, I let my feet lead me where they would.

I seemed have walked for hours; after passing several deserted warehouses in the dead of night, I realised that I was absolutely, wonderfully lost.

"Brilliant," I muttered to myself, trying to find my bearings, but at three a.m. in the morning, one large whitewashed building looked very much like any other.

Suddenly, the presence of another intruded itself on my consciousness. Spinning around, I scrutinized the dark around me, drawing the Ensui as I did so.

My careful gaze met with that of glowing yellow-green, as a startled calico raced across my path. Sheathing my blade, I laughed aloud at my foolishness, the sound strangely huge in the surrounding emptiness. Really, who had I thought it would be?

__

Who had I hoped it would be?

"Were you looking for me?" A shadow detached itself from the darkness of an unlit alley, a small smile its only discernible feature in the night.

I froze at the sound of that familiar voice, my hand halfway to the Ensui. 

"What do you want?" I asked, surprised at the calm in my voice, one that belied the slight tremor in my hands.

He walked towards me, and I took an involuntary step back. He paused, and held out empty palms in a gesture of peace. 

"I just want to talk," he said.

"I have nothing to say to you." I replied.

He closed the distance between us then, and laid a cold hand on my cheek. I flinched, and tried to draw away, but he caught my wrist and held me fast.

"Oh, but I think you do," he said laughingly, his breath a warm whisper in my ear. "Tell me," he continued, "at this very moment, what do you want most?"

"For Yanagi to be safe," I answered without hesitation.

"What price would you pay to keep her safe?" he asked, and though his tone was still amused, there was an undercurrent of something else running just beneath his words. As he spoke, he moved his mouth down my neck, and I found it hard to draw breath.

"Anything…" I gasped, helpless in his grasp.

As abruptly as he had caught hold of me, he released me, and bounded away into the night. Just before he disappeared from sight, I saw the glint of gold on amber, and a wisp of wind carried his departing words to my ear.

__

"I hope you never regret it." 

* * *

© ai 2002

If you liked it, do tell me. Thank you.


End file.
